Scripture:
2 Chronicles 34:29-30
"Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the Levites--all the people from the greatest to the least. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord's Temple."
Observation:
When the king was presented with the scroll that had been found he tore his clothes upon hearing the words written in it because he recognized Israel's sin. Then, even thought the Lord had told him he was "safe" from the destruction that would soon come to the people for their disobedience, the king went out and shared all that he had just learned with his people. First, he let the Word of the Lord transform him; second, he went out and shared it with the world.
Application:
Share the Word of the Lord with others. With the greatest and the least. Sometimes either of these positions can be uncomfortable to approach. But everybody deserves the chance to hear and have the opportunity for the Word to transform them. Do not become so comfortable in the knowledge that I have been saved that I grow complacent and lazy in telling others who have not yet heard and are not yet saved. Be bold, courageous and share the Lord with anybody, whether my peer, my elder, the next generation, the rich, the poor, the smelly, the beautiful, the lost, the hurting, the broken, the blatant sinner, and the one appearing to have it all together. Just Share. Love. Everyone.
Prayer:
Lord,
Do not allow me to become complacent or lazy. Empower me with the boldness to share you Word, my story, how You have worked through me. Help me to always be an example of Your love regardless of how I am "feeling". Please help me to be bold, unbiased, unafraid, and most of all Lord, keep my uncomfortable enough to remember that I once was lost too and how great it is now that I am found. Do not let me fall into a Holy huddle or to ostrasize myself away from the hurting and unsaved world.
Amen
Friday, August 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Romans 14:1-23
Scripture:
Romans 14:10
"So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God."
Observation:
This whole passage in Romans is talking about the difference in convictions and not arguing about what is right or wrong in what we eat or what day we declare holy. Paul was emphasizing that we need to have unity in the church and that we shouldn't judge others just because they feel the Lord has called them to different convictions. ALL of God's law can be summed up in the two commands: Love the Lord your God, and Love your neighbor as yourself. Therefore, everything else that is of no real consequence to God, my neighbor, or even perhaps oneself, is not what God has called us to focus on IN OTHER PEOPLE. Paul goes on to write in verse 21, "But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning." God gave us a conscience and to disobey those things which God has laid upon our heart is a sin. Just as I may set a general guideline for my children to have one hour of TV but for one child it is easy and another it is pure torture. Which one of these children needs the rule more? Or what if I have a child who overeats and a child who hardly ever eats? I may set a limitation on one child and welcome the other to eat as much as they feel like. Is this unfair? Perhaps, from the outside looking in, but it may also seen unfair to a 10 year old who must be in bed at 8 that their older sibling who is 17 gets to stay up until 10. God's convictions are based on a PERSONAL, and INTIMATE relationship with His children, who He knows better than anyone else in their life. He has a reason for everything. My job is not to question the work He is doing in somebody's life but to make sure that I am being obedient to what He has called me to do. AND not to judge others if they have not experienced the same calling or boundary in their life.
Application:
Do not JUDGE others for not being as convicted about health and wellness, naturopatheic healing, the perimeters they set for their children, the way they clean their house, the amount of time they spend watching TV, the tone in which they speak to their spouse, the food they eat, the way they worship, the way they serve, the way people believe, talk, think, act, love, struggle, the way they handle problems, addictions, the way people spend their money, the way they run their life. It is not my job to condemn, judge or talk about behind their back in disgust and disagreement. It is my job to LOVE.
Do not PUSH my convictions on other people. They have enough of their own to deal with. It is my job to OBEY that which the Lord has placed on my heart. That is enough to keep me completely occupied.
Prayer:
Lord,
Thank you for loving me even though I can be a stubborn child. Thank you for Your patience with me as I grow daily. Please help me to have the same patience and mercy with others as they grow in You at their own pace, Lord. Help me to be kind and to radiate Your love in all I do. Help me not to be judgmental or mean spirited towards Your children. Let me not cause others to stumble by my juvenile tendencies. Please fill me up and overflow from my cup. Keep me focused on You and my growth. Stamp out the spirit of self righteousness in me.
Amen
Romans 14:10
"So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God."
Observation:
This whole passage in Romans is talking about the difference in convictions and not arguing about what is right or wrong in what we eat or what day we declare holy. Paul was emphasizing that we need to have unity in the church and that we shouldn't judge others just because they feel the Lord has called them to different convictions. ALL of God's law can be summed up in the two commands: Love the Lord your God, and Love your neighbor as yourself. Therefore, everything else that is of no real consequence to God, my neighbor, or even perhaps oneself, is not what God has called us to focus on IN OTHER PEOPLE. Paul goes on to write in verse 21, "But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning." God gave us a conscience and to disobey those things which God has laid upon our heart is a sin. Just as I may set a general guideline for my children to have one hour of TV but for one child it is easy and another it is pure torture. Which one of these children needs the rule more? Or what if I have a child who overeats and a child who hardly ever eats? I may set a limitation on one child and welcome the other to eat as much as they feel like. Is this unfair? Perhaps, from the outside looking in, but it may also seen unfair to a 10 year old who must be in bed at 8 that their older sibling who is 17 gets to stay up until 10. God's convictions are based on a PERSONAL, and INTIMATE relationship with His children, who He knows better than anyone else in their life. He has a reason for everything. My job is not to question the work He is doing in somebody's life but to make sure that I am being obedient to what He has called me to do. AND not to judge others if they have not experienced the same calling or boundary in their life.
Application:
Do not JUDGE others for not being as convicted about health and wellness, naturopatheic healing, the perimeters they set for their children, the way they clean their house, the amount of time they spend watching TV, the tone in which they speak to their spouse, the food they eat, the way they worship, the way they serve, the way people believe, talk, think, act, love, struggle, the way they handle problems, addictions, the way people spend their money, the way they run their life. It is not my job to condemn, judge or talk about behind their back in disgust and disagreement. It is my job to LOVE.
Do not PUSH my convictions on other people. They have enough of their own to deal with. It is my job to OBEY that which the Lord has placed on my heart. That is enough to keep me completely occupied.
Prayer:
Lord,
Thank you for loving me even though I can be a stubborn child. Thank you for Your patience with me as I grow daily. Please help me to have the same patience and mercy with others as they grow in You at their own pace, Lord. Help me to be kind and to radiate Your love in all I do. Help me not to be judgmental or mean spirited towards Your children. Let me not cause others to stumble by my juvenile tendencies. Please fill me up and overflow from my cup. Keep me focused on You and my growth. Stamp out the spirit of self righteousness in me.
Amen
Monday, July 30, 2012
2 CHRONICLES 26:5
Scripture:
2 Chronicles 26:5b
"...And as long as the King sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.
Observation:
The King's success was directly related to seeking the Lord for guidance. The condition of his success was that he sought God in all he did. As soon as he stopped seeking the Lord, he faced his downfall.
Application:
Remember to seek the Lord in ALL I do and make a conscience effort to ask Him for guidance, not only in the big decisions but in the small tasks of everyday life as well.
Prayer:
Lord,
Remind me to seek you and to ask You about everything I do. Forgive me for my tendency to consult You after I've already made my decision or ti not even think of talking to You about it at all. Help me to be better about this. Thank You for caring about every detail of my life and for blessing me so abundantly.
Amen
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